"Your Lordship, this is the girl who betrayed JK to the Pharisees", Lindiwe shoved the girl forward. "when I get out of these shackles, I'll mutilate you", the girl spat. "I didn't betray JK…", she choked. "They were there for you. You involved him. It's your fault", she explained. Lubaya approached her. She rested her immaculate hands on the girl's cheeks and, due to Lubaya's touch, the girl's wounds began to heal.
"Mishka Jacobs", Lubaya smiled at her. "better known as Shade", Mami added, "Mami?", Mishka asked in bewilderment. "yes, darling", she replied, now in view.
"you know each other?", bewildered Lindiwe. "darling, where do you think she gets Mist from?", "wait… you are the Connect?", Lindiwe was flabbergasted at this sudden revelation. "Lubaya, your recruits are so interesting", chuckled Mami, nevertheless, Lubaya chose to ignore her comment.
"Shade…", Lubaya started. She had a motherly way of manipulating people. Lubaya radiated comfort amid death and pandemonium. "you know that Juda's death is your fault, right?", she began her brainwash. "I didn't know!", Mishka choked. "If I knew… I'd never agreed to it", she sobbed. "you may still redeem yourself", Lubaya cupped her hands on Mishka's gorgeous face, now unblemished.
"Anything… just say it. I'll do anything, JK was more than a friend to me", she cried. That was the Maditau Effect. Lubaya may have been forced to imprison her powers for a century, howbeit, she didn't lose her effect over people. "Good…", she smiled mirthfully. "my child", she said to Lindiwe, "you know what to do", she said, then, she proceeded by placing a kiss on the temple of either woman. Lubaya's kiss to the temple was not as motherly as it may appear. The two left, leaving only the gods and the Metronome.
Lubaya revealed a First World removal drive, she gave it to Bison, which, he stored inside Pandora's Box. "that is the only remaining copy of the Maggilot", she said. "Within it contains not only the source, though, the cure; Contradivoc", she added, "Lubaya, you have seen at least a glimpse of the world beyond the year two thousand and nineteen and yet, you choose to seal the Maggilot- Contradivoc in a box that hosted the sin and malevolence of the world", Anansi was flabbergasted at the Maditau's decision.
"Millions will die in the process", Mami joined in, "Not the millions that matter. In their advanced to undermine Alkebulan, they have forgotten that they have made their own weak. Even the oldest amongst the sons and daughters of this soil can withstand Divoc", Lubaya explained flatly. "Lubaya!", exclaimed Anansi, "you will permit legally institutionalised genocide, simply because it will tarnish their numbers", Anansi's bewilderment was surprising, after all, he was the god of Trickery, the Titan of Titans.
Lubaya knew she was making the correct move, especially when it baffled a god-like Anansi. "I'm not pleased with this. The loss of our own not only due to Divoc but because of Divoc will be too great a risk", Mami tried to reason. "arduous solutions require unyielding will", recited Bison. "yes, but, how long will we keep on sacrificing our own to attain this 'greater good'?", Mami asked.
She was right. They had sacrificed a lot in the name of the greater good. Countless lives throughout the aeons. Fallen nations and kingdoms. "the genocide in the South of the continent was our fault. We let our people entertain those Graecus scum", Mami argued, "those events forced our people to emigrate to the south. Lubaya, I'm certain that you recall what the Kongo did to the people of the San and Koi upon arrival", she added. Lubaya was left without any option but to notice her for the first time since their arrival.
The salty wind blowing against her dreadlocks. It was past twilight, the sky was now adorned with shades of blue and purple, evening stars taking their rightful place in union with the crescent moon. "you are right…", Lubaya admitted, "what!? Anansi, did she just agree with me?", this bemused Mami, nevertheless, it equally placed a smirk on her face.
"if we impede Divoc now, we lose in the future. If we allow the events of the year two thousand and nineteen to unfold, then, we secure Alkebulan for generations to come", the Bison explained. "palaces made of gold and diamonds were founded by blood and death", he added. "Son, that is understandable. But this… this will alter the very fabric of order and free will, and we have been involved with the children of Alkebulan so that we can reserve free will", Anansi intercepted.
"our existence, well most of us, is rooted to human free will", added Mami, "if we do this… we cease to exist ", Anansi enforced Mami's argument.
It was all true, Lubaya was rooted in Alkebulan the cradle of all existence. Anansi was conditioned to trickery and deception, that required free will. Order was the absence of feminism, and Mami… she was tied to the emotions of women, by removing free will, this would have affected her. The absolute unification of the world meant that there would be only one Flow of Reality to guard in the Timeline of Existence and thus, Bison would retire.
Bison actually preferred the idea of retiring after a million years of guarding it. As powerful as he was, he couldn't muster the courage to witness the genocide of diverse splendours, the differences in the world makes the planet unique for a life of retirement. The Metronome knew that to Free Will, sacrifices would have to be made.
The cold salty breeze enforced the atrocious fact that they tried to avoid. "billions upon billions are going to die…", Mami sighed in melancholy. Anansi didn't say anything. For one, he was surprised that anyone could master such a trick, worthy of his name. secondly, he knew, much like in the past that this was a necessary evil.
"Arduous solutions require unyielding will…", Lubaya chanted. The matter was no longer up for debate. Those lines were true in so many levels, however, it didn't stop Mami from hating it. She enjoyed living amongst the humans. They were a handful, but, they were also resilient. She settled in South Africa at the dawn of Black Emancipation in southern Africa. Whilst Lubaya favoured her descendants, the Kongo and, aided them to independence. Mami Watta stood alongside the multicultural people who fought for South African independence.
Mami momentarily recalled when she gave a lift to a hitchhiker on her way to Jozi. The hitchhiker came to be famously known as Brenda Fassi, a force that shifted the paradigm, and, a soul companion in the struggle for freedom. Those long talks with Winnie. Winnie was Mami's favourite human being.
Her unyielding potential to resist and remain immovable against oppression. Her long walks with Merriam. Mami loved her powerful voice. Merriam's voice was a call of assurance during the struggle.
Mami witnessed and stood alongside the great women of South Africa and now… all of it was going to change. The land she considered as her own, the Rainbow Nation would be divided yet again, and this time she was a part of the root cause, "arduous solutions require unyielding will", she chanted bitterly.
They stood in silence, gazing yonder the horizon, the last of the vast multitude of shades of blue and purple in the sky were now being consumed by exquisite darkness. The darker the sky, the brighter the stars. The cold salty breeze was in tune with the wistful moment. It was… the calm before the storm. "sunnier days will come", assured Bison. "after the hurricane", Anansi lamented. "weeping may endure for a night", Lubaya confessed, "but joy comes in the morning", she added.
"we ought to alert the church", Anansi suggested. "and what of the Muslims?", asked Mami, who looked mildly defensive. "Mami, as long as they are of this soil, they are our own, and we look after our own, irrespective of belief", said Lubaya. African gods, primordial to all other gods, did not require worshippers to exist. All they required were practitioners, the very diverse inevitable human behaviour. The farther the seeds of Alkebulan spread across and multiplied, the great power it fed to them.
There was a storm coming, no… series of cataclysmic events that was going to wipe half of the global population and they, they had just let it happen; for the greater good.
One by one, they began to dematerialise into the gloom until, only Lubaya remained. She fell to the ground, no longer able to bear the burden. She began to weep. She had already lost too much, too many lives. How much more was she supposed to give for the greater good?
Every tear that dropped was associated with a life of a loved one. She had lost Amina, queen warrior of Zazzau. Kandake, a dreaded war general, Makeda the Queen of Sheba, a woman of incredible strength. Lubaya momentarily smiled as she recalled their journey to Israel and Judah to meet King Solomon.
Nefertiti, a younger sister to her, well, all people born a hundred and fifty-one years after the death of Abeli were younger siblings to her. Lubaya was always accused of only favouring the Kongo, however, she stood alongside Queen Moremi, Queen Nandi and Yaa Asantewa, the Queen mother of Ejisu.
Every drop of tear brought back a memory of loss. This war that never ceased to end was growing tedious and for someone who witnessed almost all of history, she was becoming weary.
Among her greatest losses were those of the prophetess Kimpa Vita, Queen Shanakdakete and Queen Nzinga Mbandi. They were her protégés. She thoroughly selected their ancestors, nurtured them, trained them into great warriors among the Kongo.
Nzinga-a-Nkufu was also among Lubaya's deepest regrets. He and Panzu-a-Animi were the ones that got away. I guess I spoiled them too much, she sighed as tears poured down her cheeks.
"I didn't ask for this!", she bellowed beyond the stars. "if You are going to return then release me of this burden", she cried. "I know it is a drop compared to that of Yours but… this load… I cannot fathom any longer", she said. "I'm not like You", she muttered. "relieve me of this", she sobbed, "send me to the Ancestral Plane, never to return. There I shall run free with my brothers and sisters", her voice was hoarse.
"Answer me!", she bellowed, her voice stentorian. "please…", she muttered wheezily.